1. Field of the Invention
This application relates generally to fencing material and brackets or similar structures, particularly those which are used to confine livestock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fences are the most commonly employed means for confining that which would otherwise escape and excluding that which would otherwise intrude. Fences may vary greatly in both structure and materials of composition. Common fence structures include wire fences, such as barbed wire and chain link, and wood fences such as, picket fences and split rail fences. Common fence materials include metal, wood and stone. Fence structure and composition are selected on the basis of initial and upkeep costs, durability, strength, aesthetic characteristics, and safety desired or required.
One very common form of fencing is barbed wire. The relatively low cost of purchasing, installing, and maintaining barbed wire fencing has made it the preeminent fencing material for enclosing livestock areas. Barbed wire suffers from the disadvantage, however, that its sharp barbs may cut or gouge the hide of valuable livestock. Furthermore, barbed wire has a very thin cross-section so that it is not easy to see; and an animal is correspondingly more apt to contact a barbed wire fence than it would be to contact a more visible barrier. Other types of wire fencing known in this art, such as web wire fencing, and cyclone wire fencing, suffer from similar limitations. These wire fences also tend to have poor aesthetic qualities and they tend to rust or corrode after a few years of service. Fences made entirely of wood, on the other hand, are typically safer and more pleasing to the eye, but are expensive to install and maintain.
In an effort to obtain both the visibility of wood fencing and the low cost and maintenance of wire fencing, some fences have been constructed of wire webbing with wooden boards enmeshed therein. The durability of these fences is limited by the tendency of wood to weather and rot. Another disadvantage is the relative costliness of wood as a fencing material and the constant expense of maintaining wood fences.
It is known in the prior art to use plastic rather than wood to increase durability and decrease cost. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,140, granted to Topolsek on Apr. 15, 1975, discloses a picket fence composed of metal and plastic. The fence described there, however, seems to be well suited to applications not requiring a great deal of strength, such as for snow fencing, and not applications such as for the confining of livestock.